The Month of IYAR

On the evening of April 12th, we crossed over into a new month. The month of Iyar, the second month on the Jewish calendar.

In the story written for us in the stars, it is the 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐥, the month of 𝐓𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐮𝐬. It’s the 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡 sign, and thereby it’s often associated with the tribe of 𝐈𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫, the 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡 son. Issachar was known as the ones who 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 of the times and 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 for Israel to take. (1 Chronicles 12:32) In other words, they operated 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 and in great 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦. ⁣⁣

Throughout the Bible, this month is also referred to as 𝐙𝐢𝐯 (its pre-exilic name) and also as simply, “𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡”. Iyar is its Babylonian name. ⁣⁣

One of the things I do to 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 on the 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 we are a part of – I go through the scriptures looking for any entry where it is recorded that something took place during this month or timeframe. ⁣⁣Here’s just a few, (I’ll leave the rest of the search up to you, because it is the glory of kings to 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐭; Prov 25:2):⁣⁣

This is a month to remember that God is our 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫. This is the month where the children of Israel came to the 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡, and discovered the nature of God as “𝐘𝐚𝐡𝐰𝐞𝐡-𝐑𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐤𝐚”, The 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝗪𝐡𝐨 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮. (Exodus 15:26)⁣⁣

This is a month to remember that God is the God of 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬. This was the month when God instituted the provision for a 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫, for anyone who was not able to observe the first one in the month prior, at 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. (Numbers 9)⁣

This is a great month to 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 and 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 in the plans God has given us. 1 Kings 6:1 records, “And it came to pass in the 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of 𝐙𝐢𝐯, which is the 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡, that 𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝.” ⁣⁣

The last one I will share is this: ⁣⁣

This is a time of 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. We’re in the 𝟓𝟎 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 between 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 / 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 and 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭. Jesus walked the earth for the forty days following His resurrection. Explore the NT. Look at what “business” He took care of during that time. Look at what instructions He gave the disciples. Become reacquainted with the 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, afresh. ⁣

I pray blessings over you. Thanks for reading.

Linda G. Riddle